Nigerian designer embraces 'clashes' and 'chaos' at Lagos Fashion Week
Models strutted down the runway_ their beaded and sequined dresses evoking the traditional facial scarring still done in some parts of Nigeria.
Others donned outfits paying homage to adire_ a traditional Yoruba indigo fabric long prized for its craftsmanship.
Kanyinsola Onalaja's show kicked off Lagos Fashion Week in style_ in what has been a busy year for the British-Nigerian designer.
"Nigeria and its culture and its heritage is 100 percent in my designs_ down from inception all the way through to the end_" Onalaja told AFP at her recent evening "celebration"_ which came after a New York Fashion Week show earlier this year.
Lagos Fashion Week_ now in its 15th year_ runs over several days in Nigeria's cultural and economic capital.
Creatives across the continent take to the runway at fashion weeks from Dakar to Johannesburg_ though the one in Lagos is considered the largest such gathering on the continent.
Onalaja_ of mixed Edo and Yoruba heritage in a country brimming with hundreds of ethnic groups and languages_ took inspiration from adire_ "reimagining that and the storytelling behind it is bringing it to life with three-dimensional surfaces".
"To be honest_ I think I stopped trying to fit into a particular box of what I think the West wants_" she told AFP.
"I think I'm just representing myself as how I know and what I've grown up around_ which is the colour_ sometimes the clashes_ the contrast and fusing all of that together."
It's worked: her designs have found purchase outside Nigeria_ with actresses including Kandi Burruss_ Chloe Bailey and Jennifer Hudson donning them on the red carpet.
"The Onalaja woman to me is somebody strong_ somebody resilient_ somebody who appreciates craft_ someone who is bold_" said Onalaja_ who studied in Rome and whose company is based in London.
African designs on the rise
She's also been able to push a personal cause on the runway_ showcasing models -- and clothes -- in sizes ranging from extra small to 4XL.
"I've always been someone that has struggled with my weight and not being able to find pieces that would make me feel great no matter what occasion_" said Onalaja.
"I think we also need more representation of age because we get older every time."
Onalaja's show stretched into the warm Lagos evening_ for a crowd whose guests included "Afro-lux" designer Reni Folawiyo_ Nigerian actress Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama and American singer Ciara.
Lagos Fashion Week comes as African design is on the rise globally.
Soul legend Diana Ross wore a white gown with an 18-foot (5.5-metre) train by Nigerian designer Ugo Mozie to the star-studded Met Gala in May.
Afrobeats superstars Tems_ Burna Boy and Ayra Starr were also in attendance_ all three dressed by British-Ghanaian designer Ozwald Boateng.
The international acclaim is a nice endorsement_ said Onalaja.
But the focus remains on Nigeria.
"I'm bringing myself and my heritage with the chaos and the beautiful_ and everything together_" she said. "I'm not shying away from that anymore."